The Ridge of the Var - Analysis of the Levee Reservoir Potential of a Present Day Channel-levee System

In this paper, we study the Var turbidite system that extends from the coast up off Nice (South-Est of France) and focus on the Ridge of the Var, that corresponds to the occidental hypertrophied levee of the present-day Var channel-levee system. From the interpretation of available seismic profiles, we describe the geometry and mode of construction of the migrating dunes constituting the Ridge. Indeed these dunes are formed by a process of erosion on the downward slopes and deposits on the rising slopes. The interpretation of the various stages of the evolution of the Ridge of the Var highlights the eastward migration of the Ridge. Eventually, we analyse the reservoir potential of the Ridge which is a very good analogue of hydrocarbon levee reservoirs.